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Hansen: The Nature of World 111Bouddhisme au Cambodge, pp. 188–189, 193, 213–214, and Les LivresSacrés du Cambodge (Paris: Ernest Leroux, 1906), p. 117. The extent towhich versions of Jåtaka and the Buddhological biography dominated theKhmer literary imagination is made evident in Jacob’s discussion of literaryplots and themes in The Traditional Literature of Cambodia, pp. 36–41and 148–181, and Margaret Cone and Richard F. Gombrich, The PerfectGenerosity of Prince Vessantara: A Buddhist Epic (Oxford: Oxford UniversityPress, 1977), p. xv.17. This text (or texts, since it existed in multiple versions) was connectedwith the Paññåsa-jåtaka found in Laos, Siam, and Burma, but by thenineteenth century, the texts in all of these regions had developed intodistinct versions, and these versions also developed variations. A Khmerprose saµråy version of the first twenty-five of the Khmer Paññåsa-jåtaka,drawn from a palm-leaf version of a text that had been previously depositedin the Buddhist Institute library, was edited and published by Bra©Dhammalikkhit Lv∆ Em, Bra© Uttamamun∆ Uµ S¥r, and Bra© Ña√av∆riyåÒuç, apparently beginning in the early 1940s (Paññåsa-jåtakasaµråy, 4thedition, volumes 1–5 [Phnom Penh: Buddhist Institute, B.E. 2504/C.E. 1961],pp. 1–12). A Khmer Påli version was edited by an Acary S’uman at the ÉcoleSupérieure de Pali in 1942 (Paññåsa-jåtakapål∆, 2nd edition, vol. 1 [PhnomPenh: Buddhist Institute, (1942) B.E. 2495/C.E. 1953]). Still other variationsof the stories were published separately, also copied from earlier manuscripttexts, such as the 1968 poetic version of the Ry ° aç Bra©Sudhanakumår. The editor of this latter text explains that it was copiedfrom a manuscript found in 1962 at Vatt Nigrodhåråm in KampongCham province (Ry ° aç Bra© Sudhanakumår [Phnom Penh: BuddhistInstitute, B.E. 2512/C.E. 1968], pp. vi–vii).18. Guesdon’s manuscript gives the title above but Jacob cites othermanuscript titles: Paññasår Sirså and Såstrå Puññasår Sisrå (Jacob, TheTraditional Literature of Cambodia, p. 122).19. Guesdon, “La littérature khmère et le Buddhisme,” pp. 278–295; Jacob,The Traditional Literature of Cambodia, pp. 167–168; Khing, Contributionà l’histoire de la littérature khmère, pp. 166–171.20. Guesdon, “La littérature khmère et le Buddhisme,” pp. 280–282. Guesdonreproduces the Khmer text of the manuscript.21. Here, the Khmer text is obscure, suggesting both that they havetriangular faces and square faces: “three jruçcatura-s.”22. Each stanza in the Khmer manuscript is divided into seven strophes,which translates too awkwardly. My translation is literal rather thanpoetic. Guesdon gives an alternate French translation which differsfrom mine in some details. Guesdon, “La littérature khmère et leBuddhisme,” pp. 283–285.